


Sustenance

by eyeofthepanthergod



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Gay Romance, M/M, Rare Pairings, Slice of Life, Weight Gain
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-31
Updated: 2017-05-20
Packaged: 2018-09-21 03:18:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9529427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eyeofthepanthergod/pseuds/eyeofthepanthergod
Summary: Once Voltron has saved the galaxy and the dust has settled, Hunk finds himself wanting to give a less dangerous and more culinary lifestyle a try. Not really sure where to try and begin a normal life, he returns to an intergalactic space mall to seek out a galra who showed him sincere respect and awe for his abilities in the kitchen. Said galra is more than happy to see him again.(Contains minor Season 2, Episode 7 spoilers.)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is what happens when I watch a season of Voltron that completely squanders its valuable Hunk resources. Both the weight gain and the relationship aspects will pick up in later chapters.

Hunk was no stranger to the feeling of butterflies in his stomach. He had plenty of occasions to be nervous over the four years since he first left Earth, but it was a long time since he had been this nervous in somewhere as mundane as a mall. A very big mall in space, granted, but a mall none the less, cool, conditioned air blowing down gently on him and light music playing from speakers in the background of the chatter of shoppers. He felt foolish as he took slow, deep breaths to try and calm himself. He had played an integral role in taking down a powerful tyrant and dismantling a militaristic space empire. Something like this should a piece of cake.

Cake. His stomach rumbled hungrily, and Hunk sighed, hefting his bags up over his shoulder. If things didn’t work out, he could at least grab something to eat before letting Coran know there had been a change of plans and returning to the castle.

The food court looked pretty much how he remembered it from his last visit a few years ago, though it took him a long moment to figure out where he was heading: Vrepit Sal had received something of an overhaul, sporting sleek new counters and colourful signage. There was currently a line of customers waiting to order, so Hunk waited awkwardly by some tables until things had quieted down a bit before approaching the counter.

“Um, excuse me-”

The big galra behind the counter, Vrepit Sal himself, turned around to greet his new customer. “Hey, what can I getcha?”

“Uh-” The opening Hunk had mentally rehearsed during the entire walk here had temporarily vacated his brain. “Hi. You probably don’t remember me, but about three, three and a half years ago I-”

“Kid!” Sal’s eyes widened in recognition and he hustled out from behind the counter. Before Hunk could brace himself, he was swept up into a might bear hug, the smell of sweat, grease and Sal’s cologne temporarily replacing fresh air as Hunk’s gut was pressed up against Sal’s bigger, apron-clad belly. The galra thumped Hunk’s back. “Aw, it’s good to see ya again!”

“Yeah- haha, it’s me-” Hunk was feeling a little dazed as he was released.

“I’ve heard all about it- Voltron, huh? Why didn’t ya tell me you were a paladin?!”

“We didn’t really get much time to talk-”

“You want something to eat, yeah? I can take a break- Hey, gizmo,” he barked to one of the robots in the kitchen as he started to pull off his apron. “Order up, one special for my friend. Watch the counter for me, will ya?”

The robot whirred in affirmation, and Sal turned back to Hunk.

“On the house,” he grinned. It seemed like an uncharacteristically generous gesture from the business owner, but Hunk wasn’t going to complain. While he had credits to call his own, saving the galaxies hadn’t been as financially lucrative as one might have thought. “Come on, no need to stand-”

Hunk obediently sat down at the indicated table, and Sal moved to sit down opposite him.

“So, kid,” the galra began. “What brings you here? Didn’t think the paladins would have to do much shopping.”

“I’m kind of taking a break from being a paladin,” Hunk admitted. “Things are pretty peaceful at the moment, and we’ve decided that the universe doesn’t need really Voltron anymore. At least for the time being.”

“No kidding? So what are you doing now?”

“Well, I don’t really know. The others are doing their own things,” Hunk shrugged. “I just wanted to visit you, see how you were doing.”

“You’ve got better things to be doing than coming to check in on me,” Sal protested, though he beamed with sincere pleasure at this information. “But I’m not going to lie, kid: you were the best thing that ever happened to me.“

“What?” Hunk’s eyes widened in surprise. “Really?”

“You bet. Back then I was close to packing up and quitting the business,” Sal shrugged. “But you came in and opened my eyes. Reminded me what I wanted to do with my life. And business really picked up after I started using some of the tricks you showed me.”

“Well… I’m glad I could help,” Hunk said, a blush starting to rise up on his cheeks as he rubbed the back of his neck. Thankfully, they were interrupted by the clang of Hunk’s food being set down on the counter.

“I’ll get it,” Sal grunted, getting to his feet and fetching the tray.

“Whoa…” The meal set down in front of him was huge, a veritable mountain of food. While not as pleasantly arranged as he liked his own cooking to be, it was a far cry from the brown goop of indeterminate nature that Sal had been dishing up when Hunk first encountered him. At least he could tell what he was eating now.

“Dig in, kid,” Sal grinned. “And tell me what you think of Vrepit Sal’s menu.”

The galra grabbed a couple of cans of sugary drink from the cabinet as well, cracking open one for himself and taking a mouthful as he settled back into his chair opposite Hunk. “Well?”

“Hmm.” Hunk had eaten several mouthfuls quickly out of hunger, barely making a dent in the meal, but now he took a more careful one, making sure to get all the flavours of the components combined. “Hmm…”

It wasn’t bad. Certainly, Hunk could see why Sal’s business had picked up over the last few years. But Hunk could already think of several ways to improve it: the seasoning on the meat was too heavy-handed, and the cuts ran against the fibers of the flesh. The sauce didn’t tie the components of the meal together as well as it should, and the vegetables really would be improved by soaking them first.

“...It’s a lot better than your old stuff, but there’s a plenty of room for improvement,” he told the expectantly-waiting Sal. The galra didn’t seem offended by this evaluation in the slightest.

“Heh, figured you’d say something like that,” he grinned. “I learned a fair bit from you, kid, but one afternoon of learning isn’t enough to work miracles.”

Hunk’s nervousness was returning as his thoughts returned to why he had come to visit Sal, and he took a big mouthful of food to buy himself a little longer to steel himself. He had to swallow the food down eventually, though.

“Actually, that’s kind of why I came by,” he admitted. “I was thinking that maybe you’d appreciate a few more lessons.”

“Yeah?” Sal said, face lighting up. “You bet I would, kid. What time do you need to leave?”

“Well…” Hunk ducked his head a little, embarrassed. “Not really any time. Um, I was hoping I could work here. Maybe something long term, but it's cool if you want to trial-”

“You’re hired,” Sal said immediately, cutting him off.

“-What? Just like that?”

“I’d ask ya if you were sure, but I'm not going to give you the chance to change yer mind,” the galra grinned. “I always wanted you back at Vrepit Sal’s, but I figured that Voltron’s best paladin wouldn’t waste time on small fry like me.”

“There’s not many people out there who appreciated my cooking as much as you did, Sal,” Hunk said, trying not let the ‘best paladin’ comment fluster him. He didn’t hear that very often. A lot of the doubts he had about this were already fading away. “So I thought that now that we're done saving the galaxy-”

He gestured at himself, puffing up his chest, “-this guy can help you make Vrepit Sal’s the best food court thingy this mall has ever seen!”

“You’ve got yerself a deal,” Sal said enthusiastically. The edge of the table dug into the galra’s belly a little as he leaned over to clap a broad hand to the paladin’s should. “I oughta tidy up the kitchen first, so you relax and finish yer food, but then I'll show you some of the upgrades I've made since last time you were here.”

“Sounds good to me.”

Sal got up from the table and headed back behind the counter, leaving Hunk with the small mountain of food that was his meal. He had been talking more than eating, but now he could focus his full attention on Sal’s special. He ate with gusto, mind already racing with different ways to improve the dish, things he’d do differently if he were cooking it himself… and gradually realised that despite there being a considerable amount of food left still, he was feeling full. He took a few more bites before glancing up at the counter, Sal noticing him and giving him a smile before turning his attention back to the customer he was serving.

Hunk felt his cheeks warm. The galra didn’t seem like someone who would appreciate paying customers wasting food, let alone food he’d given for free. He took another bite, considered it, and shrugged to himself. He could find room for the rest of it, and food tasted better when he didn't have to pay for it, anyway.

It took some effort towards the end, but eventually Hunk managed to empty the whole tray, its contents now crammed into his overfull stomach. He reached under the table to discretely loosen his belt and reduce some of the pressure on his swollen gut, but the bloated feeling was a small price to pay for respecting Sal’s hospitality. Though a nap sounded like a great idea at the moment, Hunk hauled himself to his feet and joined Sal behind the counter.

“Enjoy yer meal?” Sal asked.

“Oh, yeah,” Hunk said with satisfaction, patting his stomach. “Is it normally that big?”

“You bet, kid. Only VIPs can order Vrepit Sal’s special- wasn’t too much for you to handle, was it?”

“Heh, I guess not,” the paladin grinned, showing Sal the empty tray he brought back with him. “Now, give me the tour, Sal. I want to see what you have to offer me.”

“Of course, sir,” Sal said with a mock bow. “Right this way.”

It wasn’t much of a tour, the food court offering only enough space for a small kitchen, but Sal wasn't lying about there being upgrades. The stove and counter space looked reasonable new, especially compared to the aged fixtures Hunk remembered from his first visit. And more importantly:

“No one chained up this time?”

Sal had the decency to look sheepish. “Nah, don't do that anymore. Had to get a new preparation unit, so the old rustpile does the dishes now.”

He gave the robot currently washing plates a light kick, and it buzzed reproachfully in response.

“Of course, you'd be in charge of the kitchen now, but you can get the new one to help out,” he continued, jabbing a thumb at the other robot that was focused on the meat it was frying. “And if you're feeling real fancy, the kitchen unit came with a bunch of tools.”

He pointed out a long shelf crammed full of appliances, which Hunk examined more closely. Some of them looked completely, well, _alien_ , but most of them he recognised as variants of the equipment he had found in the castle.

“Well?” Sal spread his arms, gesturing at the entirety of the kitchen. “Whaddya think?”

“It looks good,” Hunk said with sincerity. “When do you want me to start? Now?”

Sal glanced up at the clock. “I was ‘bout to start winding things down for the day, so you can start tomorrow. Where are you staying? You should drop off your bags, and then I’ll meet ya here afterwards to discuss our new arrangements.”

“I haven’t organised anywhere to stay yet,” Hunk admitted. “This… was kind of a short-notice thing. But there are some hotels upstairs, right? I was going to stay at one of them until I could find something more long-term.”

The galra waved a dismissive hand. “The hotels are for rich people who need a extra day to fit in all their shopping. You don’t want to waste yer credits on places like that.”

“Well, where else can I stay?”

“Hmm… I think you have to go on a waiting list to get one of the residential units in this sector,” Sal considered, idly scratching his jaw. “How ‘bout you stay with me in my unit until you can get a place of your own?”

“What, really?”

“It’s close to the shop, and you can save some money,” Sal shrugged, before grinning. “And I don’t bite much.”

“Haha,” Hunk hoped the galra was joking about the biting part. “If you’re cool with me crashing with you, that would be great.”

“It’s nothing too fancy, but there should be enough room for you to have yer own space when you need,” the alien drawled. “Come on, I’ll show you the place now so you can set down yer bags.”

“Don’t you need to close up?”

“The robots can cover until I get back. Shouldn’t be busy again until tomorrow.”

As Hunk followed Sal out Vrepit Sal’s he found himself feeling both nervous and strangely excited at the prospect of living with the galra until he found a place of his own.


	2. Chapter 2

“This is it,” Sal announced, throwing open the door to the residential unit. It didn’t look too far different from what Hunk expected from a home: the door opened into a living space littered with mechanical parts, with doors off the side leading to a kitchen, bathroom, a messy bedroom, and a couple of rooms that Hunk didn’t recognize the purpose of.

“I’ll, uh, clean up some,” Sal muttered, kicking aside some metal pieces. “Don’t get guests here much.”

“Oh, no, this is fine,” Hunk said quickly. “I’m just glad you're letting me stay here. Besides, this is kind of cool.”

“Yeah?”

“Well, I’m pretty good at fixing things too. I guess a lot of this is for your robots, right? I might be able to help keep them running as well-”

Sal clapped a hand on Hunk’s shoulder. “Kid, this is sounding better and better! Dump yer bags here, and if yer feeling up to it, you can help me close up the shop while we talk details.”

Hunk helped Sal shut down the shop while they talked. There was less to do than Hunk had anticipated, with the robots capable of doing the majority of the cleaning, and before long they were heading back up to Sal’s unit.

“How do ya feel about getting started on some more lessons before dinner?” The galra asked as they walked. He glanced across at Hunk, looking… bashful? Almost. “I figure yer tired and all, but I’ve been hoping you’d come back and teach me more for years.”

“Heh, not many people ask me to show them cooking,” Hunk said, part prideful and part embarrassed at the galra’s sincerity.

“Their loss,” Sal grunted, slinging an arm around Hunk’s shoulders. “And my gain. I got my paladin back where he belongs!”

Hunk’s blush was returning. He knew it was too early to tell, but based on how things had gone so far, maybe Sal was right. He looked up at Sal, and felt an unexpected rush of warmth at the galra’s proximity. Sal still smelled of sweat and grease, but Hunk found he didn’t mind that as much as he thought he might. “What do you want to begin with?”

“How ‘bout dinner? I need to buy some more groceries soon, but see if you can make anything with what I’ve got and I’ll try to copy you.”

“I can improvise,” Hunk assured him.

Sal grinned at him. “Figured ya could.”

Still, it wasn’t until Hunk was in the galra’s kitchen that he realised how limited his options were going to be. There were containers of preserved foods, aged condiments and spices, but certainly nothing _fresh_.

“Is this usually what you have to eat?” Hunk demanded, turning on Sal.

“Sometimes- I mean, yeah, this stuff keeps for a while,” The big alien said, raising his hands placatingly. “I eat fresh stuff when I buy it, but I don’t have time to always go shopping for more groceries. But, uh, I can go out and-”

“Nevermind,” Hunk cut him off, turning back to the cupboards. “I can work with what we’ve got, but tomorrow I’m buying us proper ingredients.”

“Okay,” Sal said meekly. “Do ya still want to give me a lesson…?”

“Of course,” Hunk assured him, selecting out the ingredients he wanted from the cupboard and setting them up on the counter. “We’ll work through it step by step. I’ll show you how I do it, and you can copy or you can make changes as we go if you want.”

Sal watched closely as the paladin started coping, soon following suit with his own share of the ingredients. Though not as quick and neat as Hunk, the galra could clearly handle a knife, and it wasn’t long before the two of them were squeezed in front of the heating elements together, Hunk almost able to _feel_ Sal taking mental notes as the galra watched him season the cooking food.

“Hmm, okay…” Sal started to do the same for his own food, before: “Here.”

A spoonful of food was brought to Hunk’s mouth.

“Huh?”

“Tell me how it tastes,” Sal said patiently. “Is it right?”

“Oh, uh-” Hunk tentatively parted his lips to eat the offered food. “Mm, it’s almost there, just needs a little more, I think.”

Sal nodded, adjusted his food, before scooping up another big bite for Hunk. “And now?”

Hunk nodded as he chewed, swallowed. “Nice, that tastes just like mine.”

The galra smiled with satisfaction. “Great. I’m going to make some more, seasoned how I normally do it, and you can tell me what ya think.”

“Sure, that sounds good,” Hunk said. It would be a valuable opportunity to start to figure out what kinds of flavours the galra preferred in his own food, and he put his own preparations on hold as he watched Sal start from scratch with another batch.

The lesson was definitely going to take longer than Hunk had anticipated, not that he minded. He had nowhere else he needed to be now, no alien planets in need of saving or enemy forces that needed evading. All he had to be was downstairs tomorrow at Vrespit Sal for his first official day of work at the food court.

Besides, he was enjoying the lesson. He was enjoying showing his cooking skills to someone who clearly appreciated them, and perhaps that why he was feeling so warm in the kitchen with Sal. The alternative was that he was warm because Sal occasionally bumped up against him as they cooked together in the small kitchen, pressing a cushioned side against the paladin, or because he found the act of the galra feeding him taste-tests intimate enough to make his heart pound.

Easiest just to think of the first option, he told himself. He didn’t need to make his stay with Sal more complicated than it needed to be.

“So, even split?” Sal asked him when the galra was finally finished practicing in the kitchen and was ready to eat.

“What? All that?” Hunk looked over the plates filled with food. The big alien had wanted to try a few different variations of Hunk’s meal, and they now had much more food than the paladin had planned for. “I don’t need that much- I’m not very hungry at the moment…”

That much was true. Sal had employed him as a taste-tester for each batch, insisting that Hunk help him fine-tune the flavours, and Hunk had eaten a lot already as a result.

“No need to be modest,” Sal said firmly, as he started piling half of the food onto a large plate for the human. “It’s been a long day, and yer the only reason this tastes as good as it does.”

With how sincerely Sal beamed at him, Hunk found it hard to decline the oversized portion. “Thanks. You’ve definitely improved since last time I was here.”

The galra’s beefy chest puffed a little with pride, and Sal moved to sit down at the table.

“Enjoy your meal,” he grinned, before digging into his own meal hungrily. Opposite the table, Hunk did the same. It was good food, and though he had already eaten a fair bit of food, he found himself munching his way through the contents of his plate faster than he had anticipated. Even when he was conscious of his stomach feeling quite full, he continued eating.

Sal didn’t seem to have any difficulties finishing off his portion, whether because he hadn’t done any of the taste-testing or because he had a bigger belly to pack away all that food.

“Wasn’t too much for ya, was it?” he teased as he saw Hunk still eating, much slower than he had started.

“Mph- no,” Hunk said quickly, after swallowing his mouthful. “Just savouring it-”

“Heh, it was a damn good meal,” Sal drawled, lazily patting his belly. “Better than I’ve eaten in ages. I’m gonna enjoy living with you, kid.”

“Haha-” Hunk pushed himself to take a big mouthful, to show the galra he was still enjoying his dinner. Which he was, but his gut was starting to feel pretty maxed out.

Sal grunted and got to his feet to begin cleaning up while Hunk slowly finished his food. Hunk had finally cleared his plate, breathing heavily, face a little flushed from too much food and his stomach aching a little, when the galra clapped a hand to his shoulder.

“I’m going to bathe, and then I’ll set up a bed for ya,” Sal informed him. “It’ll be temporary- we can get a proper bed for you tomorrow.”

“That’s fine with me,” Hunk assured him, waiting until the other man had left the room before tugging up his shirt to expose his swollen stomach, massaging it and coaxing out a burp that lessened some of the pressure in his gut. “Oof…”

It had definitely been too much food, but still he was happy. A damn good meal, Sal had said, and Hunk agreed with him. A proper, home-cooked meal to celebrate his arrival with someone who seemed sincerely enthusiastic to have him around. As far as celebrations went, Hunk couldn’t ask for much more than a delicious, satisfying dinner.

He was eventually pulled from his musings by the sound of heavy galra footsteps from the living room. Adjusting his shirt, Hunk got to his feet to give Sal a hand and-

-promptly came to a sudden halt as he entered the room, eyes widening. “Oh- uh, sorry-”

“Hm?” A near-naked Sal, clad only in underwear, stood up from the bed he had been putting together to face Hunk. Doing so gave Hunk an direct view of his round belly and chubby sides spilling over the waistband of the galra’s underwear, beefy pectorals drooping a little under their own weight… “I was just setting up yer bed. You can unpack your things anywhere ya want- just shove any junk out of the way if you need.”

“Nngh-” Hunk’s mouth had gone incredibly dry, and his blood was pounding in his ears as he wrenched his gaze up from Sal’s torso. He hadn’t really seen a galra man shirtless before, and hadn’t known just how _hairy_ they were. He cleared his voice, trying to get his voice to work again. “Ah, thanks, Sal. I’m sorry to impose like this-”

“Nonsense,” Sal replied cheerfully. “It is a pleasure and a privilege to have my favourite paladin staying with me, kid. You can make yerself at home- what’s mine is yours.”

“Right,” Hunk nodded, and turned to his bags to start unpacking and giving himself an excuse to break eye contact with the galra. After a couple of minutes, Sal had finished, stepping back from Hunk makeshift bed.

“Now, normally I don’t go to sleep so early,” Sal began, “but I think that’s best if we get a good night’s sleep before tomorrow. I’ve put out word that Vrepit Sal’s got a new star chef, and if last time was anything to go by, yer in a huge first day. I keep the shop as long as there’s people wanting food, so we’re probably going to open until late.”

“Nothing I can’t handle,” Hunk grinned, having calmed down enough to brave glancing up at Sal again.

“That’s what I like to hear! I’ll wake you up in the morning, then,” the galra said, “If ya don’t beat me to it.”

He turned to head into his bedroom, and Hunk’s grin faltered as his eyes were unwillingly drawn to Sal’s rear, the underwear rather tight over the galra’s fleshy rump that swayed a little with each step away.

Hunk’s first shower at Sal’s place was intentionally a cold one, taken immediately after the galra went to bed and left Hunk to his own devices.


	3. Chapter 3

“Ready?” Sal called to Hunk, who was currently slicing meat while the more operational robot of the two was mixing sauces.

After a quick breakfast, the two men had hustled down to the shop to start preparing for what was undoubtedly going to be a busy day. Already there had been a couple of curious earlybirds walking past Vrepit Sal’s, so Hunk and Sal promptly got to work, preparing what they could ahead of time to keep things running smoothly during rushes later in the day.

“Ready,” Hunk called back. Sal hit the power for the store display, and turned to greet the closest waiting customer.

“What can I getcha?”

It started slowly, but before long there was a growing crowd of customers, most of which queued up to order, but some were just spectators to the delicious-looking meals that emerged from the kitchens.

“Doing okay back there, kid?” Sal asked in a brief break between customers, after they had been open for a few hours.”

“Yeah-” Hunk laughed. It had been non-stop work since they got down there, and he had been keeping track of many order tickets at once, starting to sweat a little from the exertion of always moving, but he was having a blast. It felt good to be dishing up good food to so many people, and the look on the customers faces when they saw or tasted their meal was more than worth it. “Yeah, I’m doing great!”

“Great, I’ll send you on break to get something to eat when things quiet down a bit,” the galra said. “Me and the gizmo can cover for you if things aren’t too busy.”

“Aren’t you going on break first?”

“You’re the star of the show, kid! I can’t have you messing up because you don’t have enough sustenance!”

Despite the galra’s good intentions, it was still late in the afternoon when things were finally quieting down enough for Hunk to catch his breath. He was starving, not even having time to wolf down any food discretely in the kitchen, and he was relieved when Sal insisted he take a break.

“Sit down, kid, and I’ll bring some food out to ya,” Sal said, guiding Hunk out of the kitchen with a broad hand and pointing at the nearby table. “I don’t want you coming back until you’ve finished yer-”

“ _You-!_ ” Sal was cut off by a male voice from outside the shop. Pointing dramatically at the two of them was a thickset galra positioned on a hovering platform that looked something like a scooter. He appeared to rival Sal in girth, though he was wearing a uniform vest that was too small for him, leaving the bottom of the belly and the chubby love handles that sagged out over his belt exposed.  He was also hovering towards them. “I remember you! You’re one of those space pirates that defeated Emperor Zarkon-!”

 “Uh-” Hunk glanced at Sal, who looked just as baffled as he felt. “No, I’m not a space pirate-”

“Emperor Zarkon may be gone, but I, Varkon, still defend this jurisdiction of the mall in his honour! You’re coming with me, pirate-”

“Hey, Varkon-” Sal cut in, wrapping a paternal arm around Hunk. “What are ya saying about Vrepit Sal’s star chef?”

Varkon faltered, scooter slowing. “Vrepit Sal- _your_ chef? You employed this- this _space pirate_?”

“This kid is the best thing that ever happened to me and my shop,” Sal grunted, pulling Hunk up against him, while Hunk tried to fight a blush. “Are ya gonna fight me for him?”

The security guard’s arm was slowly lowering. “No… I guess not. Not if you’re keeping an eye on him to make sure he doesn’t try any funny business around here.”

He glared at Hunk. “But I’ll be watching you closely too, pirate. One step, one toe out of line, and you’ll have me to answer to.”

“Uh,” Hunk said again, not sure how to respond that. Instead, he blurted out the first thing that came to mind. “Would you like something to eat?”

“What?” Varkon paused, eyes narrowing suspiciously. “If you think you can bribe me, I’ve got bad news for you, pirate. I am not so easily swayed from my duties.”

Even as he spoke, his thick stomach grumbled hungrily.

“No, not like a bribe, just…” Hunk shrugged, not sure how best to explain this line of logic, “Since you’re here and all, and I’m the new chef… you should try the new food?”

Before Varkon could argue, Hunk ducked back into the kitchen to start cooking. Sal joined him.

“Why are you making him anything?” Sal demanded. “He doesn’t deserve anything for hassling ya.”

“I just thought he’d like the food,” Hunk murmured, not looking up from what he was doing. He had started preparing a standard meal, but was being particularly generous with the meat. Varkon seemed like the type of galra that would appreciate it. “Besides, if he likes it, he’ll come back again, and that means you’ll have more security around. That’s good, right?”

“I suppose,” Sal grunted, and though he sounded unconvinced, he dropped the topic and started making the special he had been going to make for Hunk before they were interrupted by the security guard.

Once Hunk had finished in the kitchen he brought out the meal to Varkon, who had dismounted from his scooter and was planted at one of the tables, with a slightly nervous “Enjoy your meal!”

He hurried off without waiting for a response from the security guard; though he doubted Sal would let anything happen to him, it still didn't seem like a good idea to aggravate what passed for the local law enforcement.

Hunk sighed a little as he sat himself down at his own table (a safe distance from Varkon). Though he had been enjoying his work in the kitchen, now his body was reminding him that he had been busy without pause for about eight hours and it was a relief to be able to take a brief break. He was famished too, not usually going without eating for so long unless he was on a mission, and when Sal set the mountainous special in front of him, he dug in ravenously. He'd certainty earned the oversized meal, and relished the feeling of satiation.

Still, he was conscious that Sal had gone without a break just as long as he had, so after he managed to finish the last of the special Hunk got back up to swap with the galra. Glancing over to where Varkon had been sitting, he saw that the security guard had already left, leaving behind only a plate that looked practically licked clean.

It was probably the closest he was going to get to a compliment from the security guard. Hunk collected up the emptied plate for washing before heading back into the kitchen and shooing Sal onto a break, trying out his own take on Sal’s special for the galra to eat.

Though the flow of customers had ebbed, there was still a steady stream and plenty for Hunk to do. Before long, things were starting to pick up again for what Hunk supposed was the dinner rush though it was hard to tell with alien planets. The bright lighting of the mall wasn’t helping his sense of time either. There were still plenty of newcomers attracted by the crowd of customers, Sal grinning gleefully as more people joined the queue to enthusiastically part with their credits in exchange for Hunk’s cooking.

“You good to keep goin’ late, kid?” Sal called back to him. “I’m thinking we might get one last rush before closing.”

“Sure thing, boss,” Hunk replied, not looking up from the dishes he was plating. Already he was feeling more at home in Vrepit Sal’s kitchen, and he didn’t want to let down Sal on his first day. The robots were working tirelessly as well, though they were smart enough to stay out of Hunk’s way unless he needed them. “There still a lot of hungry customers to feed.”

By the time they finally closed, Sal turning away some disappointed late-night shoppers, Hunk was exhausted and sweaty and a little sore from being on his feet the whole day, but immensely satisfied. Sal looked similarly dishevelled.

“You did great today,” the galra said, patting Hunk’s shoulder. “I wasn’t sure you were going to gonna handle the crowd all day, but ya showed me.”

“Heh, I am Vrepit Sal’s star chef, after all,” Hunk said, too tired to be modest.

“Well, you sure brought in the credits, kid! Nothing beats happy customers for good advertising, so ya better hope you can manage another day of that tomorrow.”

There was no grocery shopping, homemaking, or cooking lessons in the domestic kitchen that evening: instead, they hastily shovelled down some dinner before heading up to Sal’s unit, Hunk promptly collapsing into his makeshift bed until the galra woke him up early in the morning to head back down and start prep for the day.

 

\---

 

Hunk’s second day of work was just as busy as the first, and the third as well, the crowd of customers in front of Vrepit Sal’s getting bigger and smaller over the course of the day, but always present. It wasn’t until late in the fourth afternoon that the customers dwindled down to nothing for the first time since Hunk had started there.

“Ready to start shutting things down, kid?” Sal asked him.

“Already?” Hunk glanced up at the clock. “I can keep going. No need to miss out on business for me.”

Sal chuckled. “We’ve done more business since ya started than I normally do in a month. But I think I'm overdue for a cooking lesson from you, and as tired as I am, I don’t think I’m gonna lose any sleep over missing some evening shoppers.”

Honestly, Hunk felt some relief at being able to close up at a more reasonable hour: as good as it was to be busy, it had been non-stop since he started and he was looking forward to getting an evening off.

Once they were shut for the night, Sal took him to the closest supermarket. Fitting for the huge mall, the supermarket was similarly over-sized, Hunk’s eyes widening as he took in sheer variety of goods crammed onto the shelves. He had sampled his share of intergalactic cuisine over the course of his travels and he recognised quite a few alien ingredients, and there was more he could he guess at based on how they looked, but there was still plenty that were completely foreign to him.

“Normally I’d go somewhere smaller if I was shopping fer myself,” Sal explained, “But if you’re looking for human ingredients, this is probably the best place to try.”

Sal was probably right, Hunk decided, and he had little doubt that there was some things from home that couldn’t be exactly replicated by ingredients elsewhere in the universe, but he was more excited at having galaxies of culinary flavours packed under one (very large) roof.

“Some me what you usually like, and I’ll think of something,” Hunk said, scanning the shelves. “I’ll show you some Earth dishes later, but I want to try making something new tonight.”

“That’s fine by me, kid,” Sal grinned.

It was some time later that they emerged from the supermarket, burdened with several full bags each. Though Hunk was conscious there was no need to get so much with the supermarket only a short walk from Vrepit Sal’s, he had been unable to help himself from adding more ingredients to their haul whenever he saw something he remembered as tasting nice during one of the paladins’ planetary adventures or something that looked unusual enough to make him need to try it. Sal had shied away from vegetables when selecting out ingredients, so Hunk had made sure he selected out enough for both of them: though he wasn’t an expert on galra anatomy, he had spent enough time around them to know a healthy galran diet wasn’t exactly the same as a balanced human diet but it was within the same realm. Sal had the good sense not to argue.

“I don’t know what half of this is,” the galra muttered once they were back at his unit and they were putting the groceries away.

“We’ll find out together, then,” Hunk said cheerfully, though now they were out of the bright lights and gentle music designed to encourage shopping, he was conscious that there were a lot of ingredients in their bags that he had never used before.

“As long as you don’t poison me.”

“Have some faith in your star chef,” Hunk chided. “I’ve cooked with weirder stuff than this before.”

He started to retrieve some of what he hoped were vegetables. “Today's lesson: we’re going to figure out how to cook these in a way that you'll like.”

Sal grimaced involuntarily, but nodded. “You’ll have yer work cut out for you, but if anyone could make me want to eat those, it's you.”

Hunk was already mentally running through all the dishes he could remember that he could potentially coax the big galra into trying, and started to pull out more ingredients.

“So long as I can make ya something to try afterwards as well,” Sal added.

“Sure, I'd love to try it.”

Despite having spent most of his waking hours for the last four days working in the Vrepit Sal, Hunk was looking forward to the prospect of a busy evening in their more domestic kitchen. He couldn’t deny that a substantial part of that was getting to cook alongside the big galra, Sal’s attention fixed on him as Hunk demonstrated each step. The big man also obediently stomached the vegetables for taste-testing at Hunk’s insistence, his expression of distaste lessening each time as the bitterness was cooked out and the seasoning gave it a richer flavour profile.

“I dunno what I'm eating, but it's not half-bad,” Sal admitted, after he had swallowed a mouthful of the finished dish. “Consider me impressed.”

“Did you expect any less from me?”

“Of course not,” the galra grunted. “But I’m still impressed.”

Hunk considered a victory when Sal took a few more bites of the vegetable dish before getting started in on the meal he had wanted to prepare for both of them, even if most of the vegetables were still left for Hunk to finish. It gave him something to cleanse his palate between the numerous bites Sal offered him as the big galra worked on what Hunk recognised as a traditional galra meat dish.

Though Sal asked for advice after each bite he fed the paladin, Hunk didn’t want to stifle the galra’s culinary creativity on this one and gave him just a few pointers. Consequently, the finished product was a little greasier and a little saltier than Hunk usually liked it, more in line with Sal’s usual palate, but the paladin was still impressed with how much better it was than the slop Sal had been serving up the first time Hunk met him.

Still, he surprised by how large a serve Sal set in front of him, an even bigger portion than what the galra dished up for himself. Hunk was already feeling full, both from the vegetables and from all the mouthfuls Sal had fed him while the big galra cooked, and he seriously doubted he would be able to finish what had been put on his plate.

He didn’t have the heart to protest, though, especially after Sal cheerfully added: “Haven't made this fer someone else in ages. You can consider yerself one of the lucky few, kid.”

As Sal dug into his own serve with enthusiasm, Hunk did his best to convince himself he was still hungry, scooping up a big bite. It worked for a bit, helping him put in a dent in the pile of food, but as the discomfort of overeating grew more pressing, he had to admit to himself that the food alone wasn’t good enough to warrant forcing himself to find more room in his packed gut for each new mouthful, but here he was, stubbornly pushing more food into his mouth as Sal finished up his serve on the other side of the table.

“What do you think, kid?” Sal asked with a grin, setting his fork down on his emptied plate.

“Mmph-” Hunk had to paused to swallow his mouthful before replying, his smile slightly strained from how full he was. “It’s great.”

“Glad to hear it!” Sal started to get to his feet, to start clearing up. “There’s all kinda traditional galra food I can make for you, ya know.”

“I’d love to try it all,” Hunk said sincerely. He certainly had plenty of exposure to galra food over the course of their adventures as the paladins of Voltron, and he’d tried his hand at some dishes himself, but he was usually the one who cooked for others. Having someone else so enthusiastic to cook for him was a foreign experience, and Hunk was a bit taken aback by how warm and happy the idea made him feel.

He discreetly reached under his overfull stomach to loosen his belt. Hunk was feeling a new surge of determination, the source of which he wasn’t quite sure of. Whether it was out of respect for Sal, or his responsibility as his culinary teacher, or his duty as Sal’s guest, or from the crush on the burly galra he had a sinking feeling he was developing (that wasn’t a mental path he was wanting to let his thoughts go down at the moment), it didn’t matter. One way or another, he was going to finish every last bite of the meal Sal had prepared for him.

It took some time, Hunk struggling to find any more room left in his maxed-out gut towards the end, but he finally finished. Slumping back in his chair to try and give his bloated stomach a little more room, he was distantly conscious of being flushed, a little sweaty and a little out of breath from how full he was, too groggy to think clearly. But the warm grin Sal gave him and the broad, approving hand the big galra laid on his shoulder before he took away Hunk’s emptied plate more than made up for the ache of overeating so much.


End file.
